


Tying Tangled Knots

by ComedyOfErrors



Series: Prompts: Kath and Petra Volume 1 [4]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-13
Updated: 2014-08-13
Packaged: 2018-02-13 00:35:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2130420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ComedyOfErrors/pseuds/ComedyOfErrors
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Petra to Kath:<br/>Thorin/Bilbo<br/>Braids have different meanings to dwarfs, each one special or important, life events or courtings. Bilbo braids Thorin's hair as he recovers from the Battle of Five armies. He doesn't realize what the meaning is until it's explained to him. (Everyone lives / no one dies)<br/>However long or short you want</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tying Tangled Knots

**Author's Note:**

> Kath: I considered making this one a little more fangirlish, but since Petra made it a point to stipulate that no one died, I figured some injury was in order. So, you know. This happened. It's a shorty.
> 
> Warnings: Uh... There's some canon-bending here. And mildly awkward situations. But that's it, this one's tame.

The Response:

Bilbo didn't mind caring for Thorin as he recovered from his wound. The Battle of five armies had injured them all in one way or another, really, and Bilbo had managed to come out of it only mildly concussed. But Thorin had been grievously wounded and though he survived, he was bed ridden for days and days.  
Everyone stopped in to visit and chat and update Thorin on the progress of the restoration, but they were always too busy to stay long. Bilbo knew little of the running of a Dwarven Kingdom, so he was more than content to sit with Thorin for long hours, keeping him company and running or fetching anything he might need. He noticed, though, that his friend tended to neglect himself. He never ate enough, never slept enough; Thorin barely even paid any attention to his beard.  
Finally, one day, Bilbo grew tired of staring at the tangled mess his friend had become. He fetched a basin of warm water and a comb, and he nagged Thorin into allowing him to care for the man. He washed his hair first, gently combing out days of knots and tangles before braiding it loosely down the dwarf's back. Thorin's beard, which had grown long and unruly during his recovery, required more attention. But Bilbo was patient and gentle, and if Thorin was strangely silent and fidgety during the process, the hobbit did not comment on it.  
At least, not until later, when he spoke to Fili and Kili about his odd behavior. The brothers made strange faces at his story, exchanging knowing looks and generally driving Bilbo to distraction until they finally explained. Braiding her husband's beard was a dwarven ritual; the first thing a new wife did was to learn the clan braids of her new family and to weave in the intricate braid that declared a dwarf married. It was likely, they said, that Thorin appreciated the gesture for what it was—one friend caring for another—but was also embarrassed by the implications. Bilbo felt his face flush with shame. He hadn't known, of course, but that didn't help. When he returned to Thorin's side the next day, he did not comment on the dwarf's re-braided beard. Thorin said nothing on the subject and Bilbo followed his lead. Perhaps their talk was a little awkward, and perhaps they both lapsed into short, embarrassed silences, but that soon faded away. They were friends, close friends—nearly brothers, now—and both knew the gesture came from Bilbo's friendship with the dwarf, nothing more.  
Still, Bilbo flushed at the memory for years to come. It was not until he was quite old indeed that they were able to laugh over it together in their letters.


End file.
